What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
The pilot was conducting a tailwheel re-familiarization flight with his passenger. He was flying from the right hand seat while he demonstrated a landing. The pilot states that he performed a landing on runway 24 at Payson, AZ. With a light quartering tail wind blowing from the left. As the aircraft touched down very lightly in a three point attitude it began drifting to the right. As it continued to drift the pilot stated that he applied power and input left aileron control in an attempt to correct for drift and straighten the aircraft down the runway. Markings on the runway and grass to the right hand side of the runway indicate the aircraft left the runway and continued angling away (to the right) from the runway until it struck the airport fencing. The aircraft slid down the chain link fence to the left approximately 20 feet and came to rest with the main landing gear collapsed to the right, and the left hand wing and nose of the aircraft down in the dirt. The engine had stopped with one blade of the propeller bent back. The other blade was straight with scratches along the leading and forward edges. Dirt indications on the left hand tire and tailwheel confirms that the marks on the grass from the runway were caused by the left wheel and tailwheel. The marks indicate the left main tire was rolling on the ground and the tail wheel following along just to the right of the main tire track by a foot or less. The passenger who was seated in the left seat stated that she had just performed a landing prior to this landing and there had been no mechanical issues with the aircraft at that time. The pilot states that he did not have any flaps deployed during the landing phase and that he did not reduce the power after applying it to initiate the correction to the left. One witness stated there had been a gust of wind up to 11 knots registering on the AWOS less than 20 seconds prior to the aircraft landing. This gust did not record on the AWOS read-out as it only records every 5 minutes. The aircraft sustained substantial damage to the wings, airframe, and propeller when it came to a halt. Both the pilot and passenger sustained light bruises.
As the FAA filed it
THE PILOT WAS CONDUCTING A TAILWHEEL RE-FAMILIARIZATION FLIGHT WITH HIS PASSENGER. HE WAS FLYING FROM THE RIGHT HAND SEAT WHILE HE DEMONSTRATED A LANDING. THE PILOT STATES THAT HE PERFORMED A LANDING ON RUNWAY 24 AT PAYSON, AZ. WITH A LIGHT QUARTERING TAIL WIND BLOWING FROM THE LEFT. AS THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN VERY LIGHTLY IN A THREE POINT ATTITUDE IT BEGAN DRIFTING TO THE RIGHT. AS IT CONTINUED TO DRIFT THE PILOT STATED THAT HE APPLIED POWER AND INPUT LEFT AILERON CONTROL IN AN ATTEMPT TO CORRECT FOR DRIFT AND STRAIGHTEN THE AIRCRAFT DOWN THE RUNWAY. MARKINGS ON THE RUNWAY AND GRASS TO THE RIGHT HAND SIDE OF THE RUNWAY INDICATE THE AIRCRAFT LEFT THE RUNWAY AND CONTINUED ANGLING AWAY (TO THE RIGHT) FROM THE RUNWAY UNTIL IT STRUCK THE AIRPORT FENCING. THE AIRCRAFT SLID DOWN THE CHAIN LINK FENCE TO THE LEFT APPROXIMATELY 20 FEET AND CAME TO REST WITH THE MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED TO THE RIGHT, AND THE LEFT HAND WING AND NOSE OF THE AIRCRAFT DOWN IN THE DIRT. THE ENGINE HAD STOPPED WITH ONE BLADE OF THE PROPELLER BENT BACK. THE OTHER BLADE WAS STRAIGHT WITH SCRATCHES ALONG THE LEADING AND FORWARD EDGES.DIRT INDICATIONS ON THE LEFT HAND TIRE AND TAILWHEEL CONFIRMS THAT THE MARKS ON THE GRASS FROM THE RUNWAY WERE CAUSED BY THE LEFT WHEEL AND TAILWHEEL. THE MARKS INDICATE THE LEFT MAIN TIRE WAS ROLLING ON THE GROUND AND THE TAIL WHEEL FOLLOWING ALONG JUST TO THE RIGHT OF THE MAIN TIRE TRACK BY A FOOT OR LESS. THE PASSENGER WHO WAS SEATED IN THE LEFT SEAT STATED THAT SHE HAD JUST PERFORMED A LANDING PRIOR TO THIS LANDING AND THERE HAD BEEN NO MECHANICAL ISSUES WITH THE AIRCRAFT AT THAT TIME. THE PILOT STATES THAT HE DID NOT HAVE ANY FLAPS DEPLOYED DURING THE LANDING PHASE AND THAT HE DID NOT REDUCE THE POWER AFTER APPLYING IT TO INITIATE THE CORRECTION TO THE LEFT.ONE WITNESS STATED THERE HAD BEEN A GUST OF WIND UP TO 11 KNOTS REGISTERING ON THE AWOS LESS THAN 20 SECONDS PRIOR TO THE AIRCRAFT LANDING. THIS GUST DID NOT RECORD ON THE AWOS READ-OUT AS IT ONLY RECORDS EVERY 5 MINUTES.THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE WINGS, AIRFRAME, AND PROPELLER WHEN IT CAME TO A HALT. BOTH THE PILOT AND PASSENGER SUSTAINED LIGHT BRUISES.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.